Chile 4: The Last Stop - The Unique and Spiritual Island of Chiloé


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South America » Chile » Los Lagos » Chiloé Island » Castro
August 12th 2018
Published: August 15th 2018
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Chiloé (07/08/2018 - 12/08/2018)

My final stop was the unique and spiritual island of Chiloé, in the Los Lagos Region of Chile.

This lush, emerald green, magical island is home to palafitos (cute houses on stilts), adorable wooden churches (14 are Unesco World heritage sites), tejuelas (wood shingle houses), and the delicious curanto (a meaty, seafood and potato stew).

Chiloé has a interesting spiritual culture. Just think of ghost ships, witch craft, and forest creatures.

I headed straight to Castro, the capital of Chiloé; where I stayed with José, his lovely mum (Sonia), and his crazy dog (Duke).

It was day 1 and José took me to work with him. Sounds boring, huh? Not if you work on a boat! We drove to Choén (with me squeezed inbetween him and his work mate) and took his boat (The White Pearl) out to the sea.

We were able to get up close and personal with 2 curious sea lions. Cute! José studies salmon, so he was busy working all day while I basked in the sunshine and caught up with my blog and admired the views. It was very peaceful.

Here in the summer you
can see whales and penguins in Chiloé. Sadly for me, it was winter, but the sea lions were very cute.

Of course, in true travelling style, after 5 hours the boat got caught on something on the sea floor and we couldn't move. After the lads dived underneath the boat and realised that it had ripped a hole in the bottom. We were stranded. The boat was completely stuck. We had to row back in a little boat back and José piggy backed me to shore. So much for a peaceful day.

Other days were spent exploring the island, trekking in the national park (in the west), and enjoying the local beer and piscolas (a popular Chilean drink of pisco and coke).

Make sure you try the seafood in Chiloé. I've never eaten mussells so big before. Oh and try the seafood empanadas, they are delicious!

Chiloé is so pretty and full of character, I was sad to say goodbye. It was the perfect last destination in South America for me. So long, sweet Chiloé!

Then it was a long 15 hour overnight bus direct to Santiago for my final night before my flight home
to England. Yikes!


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